After life of challenges, seventh grader will run cross country thanks to team effort

Cross country allows individual runners to participate on a team.

Cross country requires teamwork by individuals.

Obviously, you can look at cross country in two ways. For a Montrose teenager, however, cross country has turned into an individual achievement that has required a team of people to make it possible.

Along the way, 13-year-old Jaxon Scheff has offered inspiration to others unintentionally.

“He’s just so happy every day,” said Sam Castle, a Jefferson High School senior who Jaxon considers a mentor. “He’s got the heart for running, and I think he can succeed. It’s really important for Jaxon to have a family behind him. Without a good support system, no one can succeed, especially in a sport as this hard and grueling.”

As cross country practice begins Thursday, Jaxon’s readiness has been enhanced through Sam’s encouragement vis phone calls, texts and a workout schedule. He has run with his cousin, Ben Wiebersick, an eighth grader taking part in cross country for the second year.

And Jaxon’s own determination and self-confidence has grown. Earlier this summer, he learned his poor vision means he’ll never possess a driver’s license, even one with restrictions. So he turned his focus on being able to start seventh grade immersing himself in the whole middle school experience. His vision limitations won’t put him on the sidelines, watching his classmates compete. Instead, Jaxon will be a competitor himself.

It may seem like a small thing, but it’s not. When you have faced challenges because of visual disabilities and other physical issues your whole life, as Jaxon has, finding a niche means everything.

“I can just run, and I don’t need to have all this different stuff to have the same experience as other kids,” Jaxon said. “I like the challenge of me needing to keep running. I tell myself I can’t stop.”

In fact, since the moment he was born, Jaxon has never stopped. Because Jaxon — and his younger brother, Jeren — were born with a genetic disorder so rare it didn’t have a name. That’s because the Scheff brothers are the only people ever to be diagnosed with that condition.

Add in ocular albinism, where pigment in the back of the eyes is missing. That limits depth perception, making it harder to see. Plus, pyriform aperture stenosis. Jaxon and Jeren were born with bone closing their nasal structure. They couldn’t breathe through their noses, and because babies can’t breathe any other way, they were suffocating.

Imagine the surgeries that followed, the travels to specialists, the therapies, the worry and stress experienced by their parents, Justin and Jen Scheff, and other relatives and family friends.

Think of the disappointments that have followed as limitations have thwarted the efforts of two outgoing, active young boys. From the beginning, Justin and Jen Scheff found themselves in the role not only of parents but also parent-advocates.

“For the Scheff boys, we’ve always needed our village,” Jen Scheff said.

That increased in importance as their sons grow older, with Jaxon leading the way. He is 3 1/2 years older than Jeren.

“It’s important for them to be a part of something so he feels like he’s involved in school,” Justin Scheff said. “People will say ‘Why doesn’t he do music?’ Well, the sheet music is too small, and if you enlarge it, it just gets too big. Basketball or football or baseball are ball sports, and Jaxon can’t see the ball to be part of it. People say, “Why doesn’t he keep stats for basketball?’ Well, he can’t do that. He can’t see who made the rebound or the bucket.”

Cross country seemed like the best option for a sport where Jaxon could participate and be with his friends, the Scheffs decided. They hoped it would require minimum changes for him to be included. But it was a new area. While Jen Scheff had run track at Montrose High School, neither parent had experience in cross country.

As expected, it did require some change and some effort. Jaxon’s participation in the meets scheduled for the combined McCook Central-Montrose Fighting Cougars athletic program took hours of physical preparation. It also meant his parents and the South Dakota High School Activities Association navigated a path that isn’t often traveled.

“Not that often, to be honest,” SDHSAA executive director Dan Swartos said when asked how frequently such a request has come up. “South Dakota School of the Blind and Visually Impaired is a member school of ours, so they’re had athletes compete in cross country before. Aside from that, not all that often.”

When he runs his first course, Jaxon will do so with a guide runner, someone who will tell him about upcoming changes in elevation, the turns he must make and the runners who are ahead of or next to him. That is approved through the National Federation of State High School Associations, the SDHSAA’s parent organization. It establishes the playing rules that the SDHSAA follows for all its sports and fine arts activities.

The Scheffs have worked closely with school district and SDHSAA staff as the season neared. They sought information from schools in other states with similar experiences. The NFHS also provided information on what accommodations would be permitted.

“From our perspective, we want to do everything we can to provide opportunities safely for everyone involved,” Swartos said.

In Jaxon’s case, that meant finding a volunteer guide to run with him. On Tuesday, Jaxon and his cross country coach Laura Gessner met with Austin Handley, who offered to fill that role. Handley is a Paralympic runner who lives in Salem, where McCook Central is headquartered.

This summer, Jaxon’s cousin, Ben, served as his guide. Ben took part in track at Montrose Middle School last spring, setting a school record in the mile at 4:59. That would give him the stamina for cross country, which typically offers courses of 2.5 to 7.5 miles, but he is going out for football instead.

As they ran together this summer, Ben let Jaxon set the pace.

“I run right alongside him, I encourage him, I tell him if dips and bumps are coming up so he doesn’t have to worry about tripping,” Ben said. “We go on a gravel road right behind his house. It goes straight down to the cemetery, and there’s barely any cars.”

Ben understands why his cousin wants the same opportunities as any other middle schooler.

“If I was in his situation, I’d want people to help me too. I’d want the same opportunities,” he said.

Jen Scheff has watched her son’s confidence grow as the cousins ran together.

“Jaxon felt so safe with him that he could run with his head up looking out instead of at the ground,” she said.

Even if he didn’t have the cross country team as a goal, Ben’s willingness to be part of his training made a difference, Jaxon said.

“Running with someone, it makes it go a lot quicker,” he said.

Jen Scheff had posted about Jaxon’s decision to try cross country on Facebook. Her post was seen by a former Montrose resident, Tina Castle, who had run track with her at Montrose High School. She asked Sam if he’d be willing to help. Sam, who plans to be a special education teacher and coach someday, readily agreed.

Running has been part of Sam’s life since seventh grade, but he remembers running with his parents when he was 6 or younger. He now describes himself as being at “a certain level of crazy as a runner.” Sam has run two half-marathons, high school cross country and track. In track, he runs the 400, 800, 1500, 3200, 4 by 4, 4 by 8 and the medley.

Cross country is where he fell in love with running, Sam said, but track now holds a greater enchantment. That is why he chose to lose his cross country season this year. He underwent a laparoscopy surgery last month on the cartilage that holds the hip bone and socket together. Having the surgery now means he can run track in the spring and be ready for his college career.

Sam drove to Montrose to meet Jaxon and run with him earlier this summer. He gives Jaxon tips on how to strengthen his hips and set up a training program. They exchange texts measuring Jaxon’s progress.

The relationship has gone beyond that, however. They now play video games like Minecraft at night.

“I love the relationship I’m building with Jaxon,” Sam said. “Cross country can give you a sense of camaraderie, confidence and hope. In Jaxon’s circumstances, that’s what you need, especially at this impressionable age. I think this sport can mold him in a really amazing way like it molds everyone else. It’s really a test of who you are.”

Sam describes cross country as an individualized team sport, knowing that sounds contradictory. But it’s totally up to the runner to determine where he or she will finish.

“You didn’t get your points because of your team, it’s how hard you pushed yourself,” Sam said. “It’s going to be awesome for him to get the character-building of cross country. It takes character to get out and run 3 miles.”

Given all the challenges that Jaxon already has faced in his 13 years, it might seem that he’d want to take a pass on additional character-building. That’s not the case. He can’t wait to be an official member of the Fighting Cougars cross country team.

“I started not being able to run, then I was thinking, oh, this maybe is not going to work,” Jaxon said. “It was hard for me to see the bumps. Then, Sam came and helped, and it made everything a lot easier.”

Even shin splits haven’t stopped him. A trip to the Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis led to a new plan to slow down training. And Sam stepped up again, teaching him how to stretch using a band. Ben’s dad, Jeremy Wiebersick, is working with Jaxon on his running form.

“Jaxon is not willing to give up,” Jen Scheff said.